The present invention relates to a music data generation apparatus and a music data generation method for generating chord progression information and generating music data based on the generated chord progression information, and a program for implementing the music data generation method.
There have heretofore been known music data generation apparatus for generating music data. Among examples of such music data generation apparatus is a performance data creation apparatus, in which a plurality of sets of accompaniment style data and sections designated by a user are connected and which, once a chord progression is designated for each of the sets, generates automatic accompaniment data automatically-performable (automatically-playable) automatic accompaniment data by changing as appropriate sound pitches of accompaniment patterns designated by the individual sets of accompaniment style data and sections in the order of the connection (see, for example, Japanese Patent No. 3166455).
Also known is a multimedia information reproduction apparatus, which identifies text code indicative of performance information and text code indicative of lyrics data with reference to event identifiers included in script data including the text code, which converts the text code identified as performance information into performance event information to output the converted performance event information to a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) device, and which displays, as lyrics, the text code identified as lyrics data (see, for example, Japanese Patent No. 3918580 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 7,447,986).
The aforementioned conventionally-known performance data creation apparatus, however, is not satisfactory for the following reasons. Namely, when a chord progression is to be designated for each of the sets, a user has to designate, one by one, individual cords constituting the chord progression through selection operations, editing operations, etc., which would therefore impose burdensome operations on the user and require the user to have a certain amount of knowledge of chords.
Further, with the aforementioned conventionally-known multimedia information reproduction apparatus, a chord progression satisfying a musical format cannot be acquired although the text code identified as performance information can be converted into performance event information. Namely, although the conventionally-known technique can identify chord names from text data, it cannot add appropriate beat positions to the identified chord names. Thus, in a case where a chord progression is necessary for generation of performance data, a user has to designate, one by one, individual cords constituting the chord progression through selection operations, editing operations, etc. as in the aforementioned performance data creation apparatus. Namely, the aforementioned conventionally-known multimedia information reproduction apparatus too can present the same problems as the data creation apparatus.
Normally, in a chord chart created in text data, a bar line is indicated by “|” (more specifically, text code of “|”, and one or more chord names between “|” and “|” represents a chord progression of that bar (or measure). Essentially, there is an original music piece corresponding to such a chord chart created in text data, and a musical meter or time of the chord chart matches a musical time of the original music piece. However, in some cases, musical time information itself is not included in the chord chart.
In the aforementioned conventionally-known performance data creation apparatus, once a user designates accompaniment style data (and section) and inputs chords (chord progression), accompaniment pattern data of the designated accompaniment style data (and section) is deployed in accordance with the input chords, so that automatic accompaniment data is generated. A musical time is predetermined for each accompaniment style data and automatic accompaniment data is generated on the basis of the predetermined musical time. Thus, if a musical time of accompaniment style data and a musical time of a chord progression do not match each other, automatic accompaniment data presenting an unnatural chord change can be undesirably generated. With the conventionally-known performance data creation apparatus, however, such a problem can be avoided because the musical time of the accompaniment style data and the musical time of the input chord progression are set to match each other. However, if a chord chart created in text data is input and automatic accompaniment data is generated on the basis of a chord progression written in the chord chart, it is sometimes likely that the generated automatic accompaniment data and the chord chart do not match each other in musical time because no musical time information is included in the chord chart.
In generation of, for example, musical score data as well as in generation of automatic accompaniment data, the disagreement in musical time would create an inconvenience that a chord name is displayed at an inappropriate position if a musical time different from that of an input chord progression is set for the musical score data. The same can be said even when arrangement data is generated.